Soupe de Poisson

Soupe de poisson, bouillabaise, and cioppino are names for a class of tomato-based fish soups. In English, I call them generically fish stew, though they are clear broth-based soups rather than thicker stews. I love these soups, in part because I have great memories of eating them on the Mediterranean coast in the south of France. In fact, I love them so much that I put this dish on my opening night menu at my restaurant.

In recent months, I have turned Ann on to this soup and she is so taken with it that she has requested it once a week. That's a little too frequent for me, but soupe de poisson has been a regular staple at our dinner table since the weather turned cold.

This is not a soup for fine fish; this soup is a means to use the lesser types of fish and shellfish. Locally, we get rockfish or Pacific cod. For shellfish, this soup works well with either shrimp or mussels.

Soupe de Poisson with Pacific Cod: Fish Stew

I don't have a fixed recipe in that each batch varies with what I have on hand, as it does in houses all over the Western world. What you need are aromatics (leek, onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, red pepper, fennel), tomatoes, some good stock (fish or chicken), saffron, some herbs (basil, parsley), and a bit of spice (red pepper flakes).

Another Version with Shrimp

Soupe de Poisson

The following recipe is more idea than recipe in that each time I make this delicious fish stew, it differs. I have given quantities below which at our house feed the two of us quite well with a bit leftover for the next day. Though the recipe is highly flexible, I would say that its charm derives from saffron and if you don't have saffron, you don't have this soup.

I have bastardized this soup: in France, you typically will not find peppers in your fish soup. I love them and this is my soup, so in they go. Your clue that the soup in France might contain peppers is that it will be named after another place: à la brésilienne or à l'espagnole, for example.

1 yellow onion, diced
1 leek, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 red frying pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 sprig of lovage
1 large pinch saffron
1 restrained pinch of red pepper flakes
1 to 2 teaspoons of dried basil
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes in juice
1-1/2 quarts/liters of fish (or chicken) stock
1 pound inexpensive white fish, cut in bite-sized pieces 

The basic approach is to prep all the vegetables and cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Then cook the mirepoix in olive oil along with a heavy pinch of saffron, a slight pinch of red pepper flakes, and a teaspoon or more of dried basil. When the onions and/or leeks are translucent, add the tomatoes and stock and cook for 20 minutes or so to give the flavors time to come together.

When you're ready to serve, season the broth and bring to a boil. Add the fish and turn off the heat. Serve as soon as the fish is cooked through.

This is the recipe that I would make assuming that I had all ingredients on hand. I often do not have red frying peppers on hand, except in August and September. I would never make this soup with green bell peppers: I do not like their flavor the first time or the second time. I always have poblanos in my refrigerator. Leeks I love in this soup, but they are scarce during the summer months.

While celery is a must, I don't expect you to make this dish using lovage, but I am addicted to its haunting celery-esque flavor. Lovage (livèche for mes amis français) is uncommon everywhere and alas, I will have no more until spring.

More common in the south of France is some form of licorice flavor. If I had a fennel bulb, I would add it. If I had some pastis on my bar, I would add a shot to the soup. Alas, we ran out of pastis in making fabulous cocktails called Le Rendezvous from barman extraordinaire Alain in Grand Case, St. Martin.

I prefer dried basil in this soup to fresh, though in the summer, I will toss a sprig or two of fresh basil in with the lovage in addition to the dried basil. Sometimes, I add a bit of fresh Italian parsley to the soup at the end when I add the fish.

The stock is critical. The collagen in the stock from the bones you used in making it give it a great mouthfeel and body that will make your soup stand out. I have recently had a lot of freshly made chicken stock on hand and I have used that with great result. As our diet transitions away from meat and more towards seafood, I will end up buying some fish bones at the market with which to make my stock.

As for fish, the best soups have a mixture of so-called trash fish which is all well and good when you are at a restaurant with access to a lot of fish and are feeding a lot of people. At home, however, one species of fish will suffice.